I'm collecting authors

My newest hobby is going to book signings! You know what your favorite actors and actresses look like, but who knows what their favorite author looks like? I'm out to discover what my favorite authors look like and hear the sound of their voices. As of last Saturday, I met author #5. On Tuesday, I'll be meeting author #6! I am very lucky that my local bookstore has a host of signings for awesome authors.

It is a lot of fun to meet these authors. They sometimes read from their latest book, but most of them simply take questions from the audience. You get a chance to ask them personal questions when you get to the table to get your book signed. You can usually get your picture taken with the author as well. That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

I was really impressed with Jim Butcher who was the author I saw on Saturday. I thought he was really funny. There were a lot of fans there. They did the order of signing by giving us tickets that were alphabetized. My ticket was I, and it took 2 1/2 hours before we got a chance to see Mr. Butcher. I can't even imagine spending 2 1/2 hours signing my name, smiling for the camera and making small talk. If I ever make it as an author, I would totally sign books and take photos for 2 1/2 hours or more if my fans could wait for 2 1/2 hours to see me!

In 2008, I met

• Diana Gabaldon (who said that her grandmother shared my name, very cool!)
• Peter S. Beagle (who went to school with two of the writing instructors at my alma mater, Gurney Norman and James Baker Hall. I had to give him the unfortunate news that James Baker Hall had passed away.)
• I got a peek at Charlaine Harris while asking for her publicist's information

In 2010, I met

• Kelley Armstrong!

In 2011, I have already met

• Kim Harrison (who is a fellow Dr. Who fan!)
• Jim Butcher

and will meet George R.R. Martin tomorrow!

If you've never met an author before, do it! It's an excellent experience!

(My brother took this picture, so it's totally his fault that it came out blurry!)

Words Sway Me

I just finished reading a stunning and heartbreaking novel about what might happen if an EMP was detonated over the U.S. Very realistic depiction, in my opinion. I don't know what was worst; imagining this happening for real in my life, the deaths of the elderly, the cannibalism, the need to lock people up in asylums/sanitoriums again, or the death of a child due to lack of insulin. I could very easily turn into a survivalist if I think about it that much. Then again, I would head for my friend Shannon's house in the event of an apocalypse--she would have plenty of green things growing. And a catapult or trebuchet for defense. Plus, those Baker boys are something fierce!

My mother has always said that words are weapons for me. I can slice you to pieces without ever touching you. I try to use my power for good, but it doesn't always work. I guess it follows that words affect me in the same way. I cry much more easily while I am reading a well-written book than I do when I'm watching a movie.

There are books that I have been reading and re-reading for 10-15 years where the characters seem like old friends. There are books I can no longer read because of the deaths of those beloved characters. There is a book that haunts me, that I love, that was probably my introduction to the genre I most love; fantasy. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It is such a book of humanity and haunting beauty. I want to read it again and again, to hold the words close to me. I can't bear it, though. The unicorn's story is too tragic. There is both great hope and great despair in the tale.

I marvel that this one story can absorb so much of myself. I marvel that this author has woven such a tale! Such a deft hand at the pen. Where does his story come from? I want desperately to have the same skill at writing a tale, the same power to bring tears, to have someone read and re-read my words fifty, a hundred times because of their weight, their aura, their transcendence. I fear that I have nothing so pure and amazing within me. I fear that I have that skill within me, but no story to tell. I fear that I have the story, but cannot find the right words.

Words hold me in their grip, tightly. I live my life along their edges. They susurrate over my tongue, whisper in my ears, grip my soul in both their hands and haul me under the deep blue of their gluttonous mouths.

A Giveaway for BBAW!

I've got quite a few books sitting around that I would love to give away. Some of them are gently used, and some of them are new. Here's the list:

For the paranormal romance lovers:

• Red Fire by Deidre Knight
• Dark Protector by Alexis Morgan
• Howling Moon by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp
• If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl
• The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson
• Night Falls Darkly by Kim Lenox
• Timeless Moon by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp
  

For lovers of other genres:

• The Last Oracle by James Rollins
  
• The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner
• Missing by Sharon Sala

I can definitely find some other books to give away as well! Here's how to play: subscribe to my RSS feed and leave me a message letting me know that you did! Easy, right? I would totally offer more entries for following me on Twitter, too, but I am not sure quite how to do that! Maybe someone more experienced with giveaways can help me out here! This is only my second one.

For every 25 entries/comments, I'll add another winner! To start out with, there's just 1. I will update each time another winner is added. This giveaway will end on Friday, September 25th at 11:59 p.m. EST. My apologies to the international readers--this is open to the U.S. only.

A Life Well Read

As an avid reader, and even more as a book review blogger, I have stacks and stacks of books. My bookshelves overflow! I've tried methods of keeping up with my books before. I've kept little notebooks that I wrote down books I'd like to read in. I kept notebooks with personal reviews of books that I've read. I log my books on Goodreads.com. I'm always looking for a good, efficient way to keep track of my books.

I was offered a chance to try out this lovely book tracking system myself. I love how it has all the different elements that I want in one place. I am notorious for losing track of my things! It's also compact, so it doesn't take up a lot of room!

It is beautifully made--very sturdy. I must admit that I'm generally quite hard on my things, but I don't have any fear that this will stand up to my abuse! It's also really aesthetically pleasing. I am not really a very girly girl, and there are flowers on the box. I really like the design, however. It's classy. Of course, it probably helps that it's teal and I love any shade of blue! It comes with a nice, heavy pen that feels great in your hand.

All in all, I really like A Life Well Read system! It's beautiful, practical, sturdy, and just right. From now until October 11th, you can purchase it at a 25% discount. Just click on the link at the top of my blog on the right hand side to take you to the special promotion page! Holiday season is fast approaching, and it would make a great gift. I hope my readers enjoy the system as much as I do.

Dragon*Con Authors

I went to Dragon*Con last weekend. It was my first time at a sci-fi convention. I went expecting to see some of my favorite stars.

And I did! I saw Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock. He's such an interesting man outside of acting! He does photography, and I am excited about looking up his work. His photography projects sounds simply fascinating! William Shatner crashed the end of the panel, in typical Shatner style. It was fun. I am not as excited about the Shat as I might have otherwise been as he owns a horse farm in Kentucky and has been in at least one of the horse shows that I have been in the audience for in the past.

I also saw Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Picard! He is such a funny man. He was sincere, and so polite. He thanked everyone for their questions. He would have stayed the rest of the afternoon to just answer questions and have conversations with fans if he had been able, I think! I would so love to meet him on a personal basis and spend time with him.

What I didn't expect was how many authors would be there! I accidentally accosted Susan Sizemore because she had a Knit Wit ribbon on her badge! Sherrilyn Kenyon was there, although I didn't see her. I had a chance to meet Diana Gabaldon who was wonderful and gracious and had a grandmother with my name! I saw Charlaine Harris, but did not make it into the line in time to get her autograph. I also saw new writers of paranormal romances, mostly. Rita Herron's name springs to mind, although there was someone else as well. I also discovered a new book about killer unicorns!

The most awesome experience was meeting my favorite author, Peter S. Beagle. If you haven't read The Last Unicorn, please go pick up a copy now! The movie made from the novel is the one thing that I think I can point to in my life and say that it was the most influential thing in regards to molding my readerly interests. I love fantasy novels, and I think that The Last Unicorn is the one book I have read more often than any other.

I had no idea that Mr. Beagle would be at Dragon*Con. I was so excited once I found out by chance that he would be signing shortly thereafter. I purchased another of my favorite books that he's written and waited for my turn to speak to him. I told him that he was such an influence on me. He noticed that I was from Kentucky and asked if I knew two notable Kentucky writers that he had attended Stanford with. I knew of both of them and had taken a class from one. The other has recently passed away. I got to be the one to break the news about his old friend's passing to him. As a friend pointed out to me, I will be memorable. I was very, very sorry to have to tell him the news, though.

I am so glad that I had a chance to attend Dragon*Con this year, and I look forward to future years! I went expecting one thing, and experienced something totally different, unexpected, and wonderful!

The End of an Era: Reading Rainbow

Being a reader and a teacher, I feel like I have to write something about the end of an era. Reading Rainbow started in 1983. I was 5 years old. I don't remember the first episode I saw, but I saw quite a few. I had a voracious appetite for books, even as a 5-year-old. I loved the section where there were kids sharing their favorite books! I hunted down quite a few of those recommendations to read myself, not to mention the featured books.

I loved LeVar Burton. He was a magnificent choice for a host. I did a fangirl dance when LeVar showed up on Star Trek:TNG (Oh, you didn't know I was a geek? Surprise! Card-carrying, thank you very much!) a few years after Reading Rainbow started. Geordi, LeVar, Geordi, LeVar. I couldn't get enough.

I haven't seen an episode for quite a while, but I'm very tempted to troll PBS for every episode that they have online from now until December when they cut off access to the show's website. I have no doubt that I will enjoy them as much now as I did when I was a kid. I feel sorry for the generations to come who will miss out on the book love that is Reading Rainbow.

Would it be weird to say that Reading Rainbow was a book review blog before there were book review blogs? In my mind, that's kind of what it was.

It just today occurs me to wonder if LeVar is as much of a reader as I imagine the host of a show about reading should be. Was he part of the impetus to start the show? How much of a hand did he have in creating the show? He is one of the people I follow on Twitter, and he seems to be an amazing person in real life. I think that he would be on my top 10 of famous people to meet. He has an amazing legacy! If I were him, I would be proud to have been host of such an influential show for a 26(!) year run. I think it should be at the top of his list of accomplishments. Then again, I'm a teacher in addition to being a book lover.

Take a look, it's in a book...

What makes a book YA?

My dad and I had this discussion last week. He said that he'd asked the library about the categorization of a book that he'd picked up. They told him that they categorized as YA when the main character was a young person. I can understand that, and I agree with it. However, the particular book that was categorized as YA had an adult as the main character. It did have some violence, although not gratuitous. There wasn't any sex or questionable content either.

Maybe there have been other discussions about this. I haven't come across any as of yet. If you know of any, please send me a link. Otherwise, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What makes a book young adult as opposed to children's or adult?

Dark Embrace by Brenda Joyce

I've read so many werewolf and vampire novels lately that this book came as a bit of a relief. I like books with telepathy and telekinesis better, to be honest. There was a bit of both in this book.

Aidan of Awe, also known as the Wolf of Awe, is a Master of Time, defender of the Innocent. His father, Moray, is a deamhon, and he is determined to turn Aidan to the dark side. He does this by killing Aidan's son, Ian.

Through the centuries, Brianna feels Aidan's pain. They met at a time when Aidan was in the year 2008 saving innocents, and a bond was instantly forged. Unbeknownst to Brianna, she calls for him after she feels his pain. He leaps through time and saves her from a gang of boys, only to take her back to his time with him.

Aidan has spent 66 years grieving over the death of his son. He has amassed an army composed of men who enjoy murder and mayhem and men who are demon-possessed. He has also been committing crimes of pleasure, draining women of their life force. Unlike most, he does not kill the victims of his pleasure crimes.

Brianna is determined to find the Aidan she once knew under the layers of anger, hatred, vengefulness, and depredation he uses as armor to keep people away. Together with the Masters of Time brotherhood that Aidan used to be a member of and the help of Brianna's psychically gifted cousins and friends, they search for a way to stop Aidan's father, Moray.

This was a supremely satisfying book. It was completely up my alley since I love psychic talents. Of course, men in kilts certainly aren't any deterrant for me! I didn't particularly like Aidan, to tell the truth. Brianna is a better woman than me in dealing with him. I really liked how the book ended. I was really happy with how the ends were tied up.

Be sure to look for Joyce's other books, Dark Rival and Dark Seduction!

2 More days left to enter my giveaway!

If you're new to my blog, I'm having my first giveaway. I've reviewed the book here, and the link for entering the giveaway is here.

Everybody likes free books, right? : ) All you have to do is tell me which book I've reviewed so far that you'd most like to read!

Help an author in need

I hope that if/when I become a published author, people will do this kind of thing for me. Gennita Low is an author of quite a few books. She signed on with Mira to do a three-book trilogy. The first book, Virtually His, was published last year. The next installment in the trilogy was due to be published this year. It was pushed back to December, and now has been delayed again indefinitely. Help out Gennita by getting in contact with her publisher, with Wal-Mart so they'll carry the book, and her editor. Below are the addresses:
Book Dept or Sales Dept
Wal-Mart Stores
702 SW 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716

Gennita Low's Editor (Publisher?)
225 Duncan Mill Rd.
Don Mills, ONT M3B 3K9
CANADA

Gennita Low's Editor
233 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10279

In addition, Gennita is giving away a free downloadable e-book at her website: A Low Profile

Visit her blog, have a look around, and help her out by buying her book Virtually His new. I am certainly one who would like to thwart Wal-Mart's evil ways, so let's all band together to do that. Get them to carry her book!

My First Giveaway!!

I've been thinking about doing this for quite a while, and so here it is! My first giveaway! I'm going to do one a month. Not a lot, I know, but all I can afford right now while I'm still searching for a job. The first book I'll be giving away is Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur. It's one of my favorite books I've read since I started my book review blog.
This copy is not brand new, but it is in near new condition. You can find my review of the book here: Full Moon Rising review

What do you have to do to win? It's pretty simple, really. Look back through my reviews so far and tell me which book I've reviewed so far that you would most like to read and why! Leave a comment by 10 pm on October 7th in order to win my copy of this book. Make sure you leave a way to get in touch with you, either via your blog or via email! Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Good luck!

EDIT: I didn't mention that the 10 pm was EST! So, because of that, I'm going to extend the time to 12 midnight EST. There's still about 90 minutes left to enter! : )

Giveaways

I haven't won anything yet, but I am seriously addicted to entering giveaways at different websites. I think I may have mentioned this before. There are so many people giving away books, as you may have found during Book Blogger Appreciation Week. There are also quite a few mom blogs that review products and have extras to give away. I am really wanting to win a Soda Club set, but no luck so far. One of the great sites I have found that does wonderful giveaways is A Wrestling Addicted Mommy.

One of my friends does a third Monday of the month giveaway as well. She's had fun stuff like awesome Post-it notes, a little wallet-sized pouch, a cell phone charm made out of a bottle cap, and the like. You can find her website at 5 foot 4 (dot) org. She's got a great photography business, so if you live in or near east Texas, check it out. She does awesome work and I make props for her when possible.

I think I will be doing some giveaways here soon as well. I've got a copy of the very first book I reviewed to give away. I've also got a copy of Keri Arthur's first in the Riley Jensen series. Stay tuned for more!

Some fun stuff for readers

First of all, get books for $1!! I got 12 books for about $20. It's a great deal. Here's the link:
http://www.BookCloseouts.com. Check it out.

Secondly, there are a ton of book giveaways from book bloggers on the internet. I hope to join the ranks eventually, but I'm such a new book blogger that I don't have the resources yet. I'll post links to book giveaways as I find them. Here's the first: http://bookroomreviews.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!